Australia's most populous state '100 percent' in drought

10 August 2018, 08:40 | Edward Lowe

Australia's most populous state '100 percent' in drought

New South Wales was officially listed as 100% in drought on Wednesday, with 23% of the region deemed to be in intense drought, leading state and federal governments to offer A$576m (£330m; $430m) in emergency relief funding.

There have been reports of farmers shooting cattle and hand-feeding animals because the ground is too dry for grass to grow.

Less than 10 millimetres was recorded in the western, northwest and central areas of NSW over the past month and drier-than-normal conditions are forecast for the next three months across the majority of the state. "They are shooting them because they just can't afford to feed them anymore", Tash Johnston, cofounder of Drought Angels NGO, told AFP news agency.

Farmers have also had to ration water for their families and their herds because the dams on their properties are dry or almost empty.

The federal and NSW state governments are providing more than A$1.5 billion (S$1.52 billion) in drought relief packages, created to offset the cost of feed and freight, and increase access to mental health services for farmers feeling the strain.

"I think the only problem is it was probably a little bit late coming for some people".

"This increase will give farming families what they sorely lack during drought-cash income".

4 / 4 Some parts of New South Wales have experienced the lowest rainfall on record over the past year.

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